august update

Life is certainly busy here in the Rhinehart family.  We just said goodbye to Brandon's parents after a week long visit here to OK.  Everyone had a great time!

Carter is taking another session of swimming lessons this month and will finish up on Thursday.  I think we are finished with lessons for this year because of his school schedule.  Speaking of,  he begins school on August 21st.  We are going school supply shopping tomorrow and he has an open house next Thursday.

Brandon is getting busier with class right now and studying up for his midterm on Thursday.  He is heading out to 29 Palms towards the end of the month and then my mom is going to come visit  :)

Wesley is talking and making new sentences daily.  He is really getting his own funny personality.  His new favorite thing to do is sing  "scooby doo.. where are you??"

As for me,  I am training for a 5K on Sept. 5th,  and going to deep water aerobics every tues/thurs evening.  We have several birthday parties coming up in the next few weeks.. and a CCC coffee.  We have also been invited to join our neighbors for a weekly game night and we enjoy it so much.  Other than that...  81 days until graduation!

100

100 days to go until Brandon graduates!  (not that I am counting or anything).  It seems as time has totally stopped and the days are just dragging by.  We are trying to keep busy and that seems to be helping.  I know in a few months these long days will be just a distant memory!!

Pool Days

Carter just completed his first two week session of swim lessons at Rinehart gym.  His swim instructor Jason was super patient with him.  Carter started out being afraid of everything especially putting his head under the water and the white bar.  He did not want to jump in or float.  His teacher Jason did not give in to Carter's whining and refusing to do things.. and eventually he did everything  (except jump off the diving board).  We hope to get him into the August class as well... but definitely in September.

Our week has been busy with lots of social events and we are just relaxing this weekend.  We are almost at the half way point of our time here... before we know it Carter will be starting school!

Family Visit

My family arrived on July 3rd and left on the 7th.  We had a wonderful time showing them all things Fort Sill and Lawton.  Brandon and I cooked a grand 4th of July meal complete with red white and blue cupcakes.  The boys thoroughly enjoyed seeing family and countless hours swimming with Sissy in the pool at Laquinta.  We were sad to see them go,  but know we will be living much closer in a few months.

Carter started swim lessons this week.  He is afraid of most of the tasks his teacher gives him,  but is slowly warming up.  Wesley is full of toddler energy and is starting to show promising signs of potty training readiness.  I have been spending time prepping paperwork and making lists for yet another move.  While exercising, taking the kids to the pool, spraypark and playdates with friends.

   Brandon is getting busy very quickly.  He is the PT leader for his small group and is responsible for leading PT every morning usually around 0500-0600.  The most recent news is he has been tagged to fly out to 29Palms California for 11 days next month.  The unit he is supposedly going to will be training there next month and the Marine Corps would like him to go too.  This trip has caught us all off guard,  but he is excited.  We are still trying to get confirmation about him deploying to Afghanistan in November.  We are hearing so many different things from people here and the Regiment in Lejeune.  At this point I am preparing myself that he will deploy so there will be no surprises.  We secretly hope he will deploy to get it over with right up front.  We shall see!!!!

NC

Happy to share that we will be moving back to Camp Lejeune in November.  Brandon graduates 30 October from CCC and we will be getting to Lejeune as quickly as possible afterwards to hopefully get assigned a house.  There are indications that Brandon could potentially deploy to Afghanistan with a month of us getting there,  but we are waiting for further information to confirm this.  

After a lot of debating and seeking counsel of good friends/family,  we have opted to hold out for housing on mainside Lejeune....  and hopefully fulfill our dream to buy property in Cherry Grove Beach sometime next year.  I am thrilled to be closer to my parents.  There are so many activities for the kids to do at the beach and it is exciting to be able to spend our summers and weekends there relaxing away from base.  

As far as what is going on currently,  we are in full prep mode for my families visit this coming weekend.  I am so happy they are coming to visit over the holiday!  We spent much of this past week at the pool and spray parks since temperatures reached over 100 degrees most days.  I also registered Carter for pre-k at Lawton public schools.  He will be attending an elementary school only a few miles away from our home.  School starts August 21st!

We also ventured down to Wichita Falls, TX this weekend to check out things to do there.  We strolled around Target and the mall.  

Medicine Park with Daddy.

We spent Father's Day relaxing in the quaint town of Medicine Park.  Medicine Park is located only 15 minutes from where we live and holds quite a bit of history.  Marked with its cobblestone cottages, shops, restuarants and waterfall's,  it was the perfect background to celebrate Father's Day with Brandon.    www.medicinepark.com  to get a greater idea.

We started our morning walking along the creekside watching the water falls and seeing all the ducks.  Next we ate lunch at the Plantation House followed by a trip to an ice cream parlor,  then into the little shops along the way.  

After all that we headed back home to rest and then headed out to run a few errands.  Later we ended up at the pool with the Loomis family for a few hours.  

Brandon actually is out of the classroom this week and gearing up for hands on time with howitzers.

Father's Day Weekend

We had a fun day today with our favorite daddy at the Oklahoma Railway Museum in Oklahoma City.  We arrived and toured the museum that included several engine's and freight cars.  Next we took a train ride on a real "big" train.  They boys just loved the experience.  After our visit to the museum we took advantage of being in the big city and ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory,  followed by spending time in a huge beautiful mall with all the stores we love.

Last night we enjoyed an evening out with friends while the boys played at First Baptist.  

Happy Father's Day to all those special daddies in our lives.

YIKES!

I have really  neglected this blog lately.  I guess that is because these boys just keep me so busy.  The past few weeks have been great.  Brandon's hours have been wonderful  he goes in at 0900 and is home at 1200.  Cannot beat that!

We have continued exploring our surroundings with the boys.  We attended the USMC family day at LETRA,  then made a visit to the Great Plains Museum where the boys were in heaven climbing on a huge train!  We visited the prairie dog park along with several trips to local parks and the spray park.  

Brandon's classes are going well.. and we are having a lot more opportunity to hang out with friends and experiment with new recipes in the kitchen.  We are super excited that my parents, grandpa and uncle are coming to visit over July 4th.  I have a million things running thru my mind to show them and things to cook for the holiday.  Carter is extra excited because he will get to have sleepovers at the Laquinta hotel.  He talks about that place 24/7  and can even pronounce it correctly..  La-keen-ta.  Pretty hard word to pronounce for a 4 year old.  I have heard Wes say it a few times too.

Some new things with the kids:

Carter: helping with laundry,  trying to make his bed, counting and more counting!

Wes:  throwing away trash when i ask him,  brushing his teeth (i always follow up), washing his hands, saying things like "cant catch me momma"  and wanting to play chase.  attempting to count,  trying to sing "if you are happy and you know it"

We are just happily moving along thru June!

It is June!

Wow May just really flew by.  I guess because we are just super busy and loving Oklahoma  (yes I just said that).  This week has been super busy with Vacation Bible School for Carter.  He loves it and his teacher says he is such a sweet boy.  We enjoyed a great walk on Monday night with Anja, and our new friends Michelle and Katie.  The three of us girls are heading to Bunco on Friday night and I am so excited.  Also the Marine Detachment is having their family day/picnic this Saturday.  It will be nice to see more familiar faces.  On Sunday we have plans to take the boys to a local museum.  Our days are really filled up with lots of fun and activities. Everyone is very happy!

BBQ weekend

We have had a great weekend going to bbq's with new friends and neighbors.  Friday night we hung out at the Fornes home sitting outside talking and eating while the kids ran around playing up until 9 pm.  Then yesterday our neighbors so graciously hosted a bbq for everyone in our complex..more great food and lots of fun for the kids.  It is so nice to hear everyone's stories and find out how they ended up here too.  Brandon is fishing this morning so the boys and I will venture outside eventually,  but for right now we are watching Curious George in our PJ's.  I am getting over a nasty head cold and thankfully no one else has it!

Up for this week is Carter will be going to Vacation Bible School all week at a local Baptist church from 9-12 every morning.  Wes  is not old enough for the program,  so he and I will have some nice mommy/son bonding time.  Brandon has another test on Monday while I have a night of Bunco planned with the ladies next Friday.  

great weekend

We thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend together as a family.  The boys had lots of trips to the spray park, pool and regular parks.  Carter and Daddy fished quite a bit and caught a lot of fish. Brandon heads back to class tomorrow,  but the next weekend is not too far away.  We are really enjoying our time here much more than we expected.  The boys and I are thriving socially!

It seems like there is always something new going on or to do.  I attended yet another coffee tonight (third since moving here) and it was a great time socializing with other women.  I have gone to more coffee's here than the entire time we were in Quantico!  It is a nice way to transition us back to fleet life.  Nothing new to report on our orders,  but we anticipate hearing something within the next few weeks. 

The weather is supposed to be great the rest of the week... so lots of outside time!!

Carter:  really getting into Madagascar lately and interested in picking out his clothes.

Wesley: has just been darn funny lately.  he says some of the cutest things and makes some of the funniest expressions.  saying "kitty cat, go to park, pool,hi amelie,uh oh make a mess, clean up,toothbrush"

Spray Park

We are so fortunate to have a new spray park that is within walking distance to our house.  The kids loved it and I see us spending a lot of time there this summer.  

We ditched the trip to Dallas and are spending this long weekend at the spray park, lying by the pool and taking the boys fishing.  Today is an anniversary of sorts for Brandon.  He was commissioned seven years ago this very day!

*as a side note... one of Brandon's company mates from USNA was recently diagnosed with liver cancer.  His name is John and he is a newlywed and expectant father.  Please remember him.

TGIF

The kids and I had a fun morning at the neighborhood park.  The housing office was hosting a cookout with hotdogs, so we took full advantage.  We are very excited to have an extended weekend together as a family.  Brandon is off next Monday and Tuesday and we have hopes for a road trip down to Dallas,TX.  Carter is most excited about staying in another Laquinta Inn and Suites.

The kids will be attending a parents night out program out a local church tonight,  and Brandon and I are having a dinner date with the other Marines in his class.  We have a busy weekend planned!

Mt. Scott

We spent Sunday afternoon roaming the rocks of Mount Scott.  We got some nice photo's there.

Then today they boys and I had a morning playdate at the park and this afternoon we hung out with Anja, Amelie and CJ.

Long Day!!!

This Saturday did not go as planned.  First off it was raining pretty hard this morning and that put a glitch in Brandon's golf game and the parade.  Then little Wes was being awfully fussy and I picked him up to find out he was burning up!  So out came Tylenol and Motrin and a big nap.  

During his nap Brandon and Carter had a daddy and son adventure.  They had lunch together at Chili's and then went to see Monster and Aliens at the movies theater.  This was Carter's first time going to a "real" movie.  Brandon said he did great and Carter "wasnt even scared".

So I had this bright idea to make homemade pizza for the kids for dinner.  While pizza was cooking,  Wes was fussier than ever.  He was so hot and irritable..so we headed to the dreaded ER.  I was hoping no one would get sick while we were here.  When we got there Triage took his temp (in the yucky place)  and it was over 102.  They took us right back we waited around 45 min to finally see the Dr.  Poor Wes has another ear infection!   Since he has tubes you would think we would see drainage.  However, this doctor thinks his tubes are plugged and may require a visit to the ENT to clean them out.  So we left the hospital with big bottles of Augmentin, more Tylenol and Motrin.   Poor Baby.

When we got home I made chicken tortilla soup for the first time.  Talk about yummy and easy to make!  Wesley ate a little of the pizza and relaxed with his daddy on the couch.  This day has been quite eventful and long!!! 

busy week

This week has been quite busy and we have taken zero pictures.  We hope to change all that this weekend when we go to the Armed Forces Parade here in Lawton.  It is supposed to be the largest in the country so we should get a lot of pictures.

Brandon officially started CCC (Captain Career Course)  on Tuesday.  He was able to meet his small group leader and the other members of his small group.  They split all the Marines up into separate groups.  He actually did not even go in at all today because all the classes were for Army only.  

The boys and I have been exploring and checking out different activities for children here on base.  We have been going to a play group at Nye Library and there is also a weekly Explorer's Club we are going to check out next week.  Carter is signed up to take swim lessons in July and he is very excited.  The boys are also going to a local church next Friday night for Parents Night Out from 6-10.  Brandon and I are excited to have a "date" night finally!

As for me,  I attended another Marine Detachment (Mar Det) coffee on Tuesday night.  We played Bunco and it was really a lot of fun.  All the ladies here are super nice and very welcoming.  Yesterday the whole family and I attended a spouse's orientation for CCC.  It was interesting to see the perspective the Army has on spouse participation  (polar opposite from Marine Corps),  but interesting.  We are having our first CCC coffee on May 26th.  

Busy Busy Busy!!

Wes is still doing great in his big boy bed and the boys have adjusted wonderfully.  Some recent new/funny things they are doing:

Carter: trying to tell time, obsessed with ice cream, still all things Cars, loves watching the Penguins from Madagascar, sprinting around the park while Brandon times him, of course talking non stop

Wesley: saying "more cookie please mama"  "dada i got cracker" "night night momma, love you" " lightning mcqueen" "look turtle!"  he loves singing/listening to baby bumblebee, trying to count, sitting on the potty, looking for "cows" as he calls them.

Happy Mother's Day!

We wish all our friends, family and mothers in our lives a happy and special day.

My morning began at 0630 with an early wake up call from Wes.  For breakfast we made waffles with my new waffle maker!   Then we headed off to church where the boys behaved fairly well.  Then we finished things up with a gourmet meal here at home!  Steaks, pan seared corn salad and a yummy orange cake with fresh squeezed orange juice on top.  All in all I am very pleased with this mothers day, and feeling very blessed.

Our house

Here are pictures of our "finished"  home.   We only hung pictures in the living room to make it more "homey"  but left the rest of the walls pretty bare.  I cannot wait to get the new bedding for the boys room and make it cute!

90% there

We are about 90% settled into our new home.  I must admit I like this house better!  The kitchen looks small but has so much more space than our older one.  All of these houses have been deemed historic,  so needless to say they are old.  They have so much character,  I love it!

Moving onto other big news is that Wes transitioned great into his big boy bed.  He cried just a little bit the first night,  but after that he has been good to go.  I am going to splurge and buy them some new bedding now that both beds are in use.  There is a design from PB Kids that I have always loved,  so I am going to go for it!  

We hope to post pictures of the finished project soon!

moving day again!

we had our HHG's delivered today.  needless to say we are pooped.   we have the following accomplished:

-living room arranged and decorated

-kitchen all put up

-boys room done

-play room

-USMC flag hung in front of our house

-cable/internet up and running

besides that we have to tackle the dining room, our bedroom, and sort thru all our clothes.

one big announcement being that wes is officially in his big boy bed!   we took carter's bunk bed apart and put wes in the other side (with rails of course)   he was upset a little when first going to bed,  but sleeping like a champ now.  i figured since he hasnt slept in his crib in almost 2 weeks,  this was the perfect time to make the switch!   we shall see.

hope to post pics soon!

Happy Birthday Wes

Wesley turned the big "2" today.  He has grown up so much these past few months... for example putting 3-4 words together, kicking balls, walking up and down steps by himself, reading himself books, saying "i love you".  We tried to come up with somewhere special to take him for his birthday..and we hit the jackpot.   We visited the Science Museum of Oklahoma.  We had to make an hour drive north to Oklahoma City.  Once there we were pleasantly surprised at all the great activities there are for children there.  Carter and Wesley were both highly stimulated for over 4 hours.  They had a great time!

Next we headed to Target (there is not a Target in this town and so we took full advantage).  We got Wes a special Lightning McQueen Birthday racetrack for his birthday.  Carter got a big boy Lightning McQueen bike.  We promised him this bike if he was a good helper during our big move.  These bikes are hard to find in store,  so when we saw it.. we knew we were taking it back to Fort Sill with us.

We made the ride back to the Laquinta and picked up a small cake to sing happy birthday too.  Wes took full advantage of the chocolate fest.   He also said "lightning mcqueen"  for the first time!  

Tonight is our last night at the Laquinta.  I will miss it here,  but ready to get settled into our home.  Our HHG's arrive tomorrow morning and I hope to post lots of pictures of the finished product.

check in day

 Brandon officially checked into Fort Sill today.  His class doesn't begin until 11 May,  but his orders stated he had to check in by 01 May.  Of course they put him on leave until class starts,,he is using his PTAD leave now so he will not be charged any days leave.  The boys and I dropped him off at the Marine Detachment (Brown Hall) around 0930 and headed .3 miles to our house..talk about convenient.  Anyway,  he was there about an hour and was happy to see quite a few officers formerly from 10th Marines.  

Next we joined up with him and headed over to building 4700 where all the other check in points are such as PMO (military police),MWR,housing etc.   Building 4700 has super playroom that the kids and I hung out with and ended up bumping into Anja and her kids too.  Our final stop being Reynolds Army Hospital to get us all squared away with Tricare.  I recently switched the kids back to Prime,  so I am hoping Reynolds will be good to us.  All in all he was checking in about 3 hours.

I always enjoy seeing Brandon wear his Alpha's (what this uniform is called).  Mostly because he rarely wears them and it is a nice change from cammies.  

They are calling for heavy rain all weekend so we are nixing the trip to the railroad museum and probably just lounging around a lot and resting until our furniture comes on Monday.  Then the fun really starts!